After years of anticipation and organization, the moment has finally arrived. The 2026 World Cup, staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada, officially kicks off today.As was the case 16 years ago at the 2010 tournament, an opener between Mexico and South Africa gets things underway, only this time the match will be contested at the world famous Estadio Azteca—one of 16 venues being used to stage the 104 matches that will take place this summer.Group A’s other two participants, South Korea and Czechia, clash later on in the day—or perhaps the next day, depending on where you are watching around the world.CATCH UP ON THE LATEST WORLD CUP HEADLINESExcitement is through the roof for the opening matches of the largest ever World Cup—48 teams are colliding across North America in the hunt for glory—with many looking to the on-field action as a distraction from the chaos of ticket pricing, security checks and other issues that have dominated the news cycle in recent months.Those problems won’t be going away anytime soon, but the opening games should give us a flavor of what we can expect in the coming days and weeks—Mauricio Pochettino’s U.S men’s national team and Jesse Marsch’s Canada among those who are in action almost immediately.So settle in, get excited and feast your eyes on Sports Illustrated’s guide to day one of the World Cup.Mexico vs. South AfricaMexico wants a winning start as co-hosts. | Omar Vega/Getty ImagesLocation: Mexico City, MexicoStadium: Estadio AztecaDate: Thursday, June 11Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. BSTFull Match Preview and PredictionsCo-host Mexico is first to take to the field, buoyed by its legion of passionate supporters at the Estadio Azteca. El Tri enters the tournament in impressive form under Javier Aguirre and will lean on home advantage as it seeks to make a winning start. With eight third-placed teams also reaching the last 32 alongside each group’s top two, one victory could well be enough for progression.South Africa is seeking to spoil the party, and a repeat of the 1–1 draw with Mexico in the opener of the 2010 World Cup woud do Bafana Bafana nicely. Hugo Broos leads the nation’s fourth World Cup campaign, with all three previous attempts ending at the group stage. CountryTV Channel/Live StreamUnited StatesFOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Tubi, FOX OneCanadaTSN+, TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, CTV, RDS App, CTV App, CraveMexicoCanal 5 Televisa, TUDN, Azteca 7, TUDN En Vivo, Las Estrellas, Nu9ve, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, ViX MexicoUnited KingdomITV 1, ITVX, STV Scotland, STV PlayerSouth Korea vs. CzechiaSon Heung-min is South Korea’s talisman. | Alex Goodlett/Getty ImagesLocation: Zapopan, MexicoStadium: Estadio AkronDate: Thursday, June 11 / Friday, June 12Kick-off Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT / 3 a.m. BST (June 12)Full Match Preview and PredictionsSouth Korea vs. Czechia isn’t the most glamorous fixture of the group stage, but it will prove definitive for both countries. The Asian giants are slight favorites for this one, and LAFC’s Son Heung-min is key to success in the opening fixture against an awkward and stubborn opponent. Czechia lost the most recent meeting a decade ago, but much has changed since then. Only qualifying for the tournament via the European playoffs, Miroslav Koubek’s men aren’t expected to make a big impact in North America, but they do have players with significant European pedigree—Patrik Schick, Tomáš Souček and the emerging Pavel Šulc ones to keep an eye on in particular.CountryTV Channel / Live StreamUnited StatesFox Sports 1, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FOX OneCanadaTSN+, TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, RDS AppMexicoViX MexicoUnited KingdomITV 1, ITVX, STV Scotland, STV PlayerREAD THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow